Many gelled cosmetic emulsions rely on gellants, waxes, fillers, heavy oils, and plasticizers for developing the structure to make a gel or stick composition. The structure built by these agents and materials give the product a balance of rigidity and firmness depending on the desired product. For example, the structure of lipstick is traditionally formed by a blend of wax and oil. However, these adjuvants, particularly waxes, have a disadvantage in that they contribute to opacity which diminishes the color of the pigment. The product therefore, has a dull, lackluster and pale appearance. To overcome this problem, enhanced amounts of pigment are added to the composition. Another drawback to the addition of wax is that it adheres poorly to the skin and compromises the longevity of wear of the product. For example, many commonly used cosmetic products, such as foundation, concealer, eyeliner, and lipstick, which contain these materials, are subject to fading, smudging, and flaking. Such products also have a matte appearance that is not always desirable. In addition, other adjuvants such as heavy oils can feel uncomfortable on the skin and have a distinct oily feel that may also be unpleasant. Therefore, to address these issues, alternative gelling agents have been sought and specific polyamides have been used to gel cosmetic products.
The use of polyamides in cosmetic products has been known. For example, polyamide resins have been used in an anhydrous lipstick as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,125. The method of making polyamides is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,450,940. The polyamide resin has also been used in a deodorant or antiperspirant gel or stick as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,275,054 and 5,500,209 because of its odor absorbing properties. None of these references, however, discloses a stable emulsion gelled with a stable polyamide. The stick, soft gel, or clear gel compositions disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,051,216, 5,603,925, and 5,998,570 and European Patent Application Nos. EP 1 068 855 and EP 1 068 856 are unstable emulsions, single phase compositions, or use a siloxane based polyamide. The siloxane polyamides have been developed because of their alleged ability to, in addition to gel the composition, provide a less tacky composition. However, the siloxane based polyamides are not compatible with a wide variety of oils, for example, hydrocarbon oils (except low molecular weight), and because they are less tacky, their adhesion properties are significantly impaired, making them less desirable in products that require minimally an initial phase of adhesion during the application of the product to the skin or hair. Therefore, it is desirable to use other polyamides in cosmetic emulsion systems because products such as mascara, for example, need a certain degree of tackiness when being applied but afterwards, upon drying the tackiness of the mascara needs to transition to a comfortable feel on the lashes. Until now, it has not been known to fine-tune the tacky nature of a cosmetic dual phase product containing the polyamide resin as a gelling agent. The compositions heretofore have either been too tacky or not tacky enough for products that need to exhibit varying degrees of tackiness over time and during their use. Thus, the emulsions of the present invention gelled with a polyamide based gelling system that has heretofore not been known. A need for a stable cosmetic emulsion gelled by a stable polyamide resin system that adheres to the skin and functions in a variety of cosmetic emulsion systems still remains. The emulsion system of the present invention is also desirable because it allows water-soluble ingredients to be incorporated into the product containing the emulsion.